And a One, And a Two…

Let's Fancy Rose Window was done in record time yet the craftsmanship she's displaying here didn't suffer at all.  When Let decides on a pattern she makes sure that it's something that she expressly wants to accomplish which adds fuel to her creative fire.  This, as an example, is beautiful work of art which will adorn yet another of the windows in Let's Workshop. 

  

Annette is back and finishing projects already. Her pair of Tri-colored Cross Suncatchers were made in two different sizes: one large and one small. I have a sneaking suspicion that they incorporate some patriotism as well as spiritualism due to the use of red, white and blue glass.

 

 

 

Keri's assembled the first of her three pink princess philodendron leaves and has decided to color the lead black rather than in the standard copper since the decorative flower pot these will reside in is made out of tiny black mirrors.   Look closely and you might be able to see that this leaf wasn't assembled as you would normally put together a suncatcher.  Instead Keri angled the individual pieces to give a flowing curve to the leaf.  A nice touch for sure.

 

 

  

 

Here's a look at what I believe is the last Cross that Cindy will be making (for a while anyway) as well as her latest Cardinal Cross which I believe she has only one more left to make.

 

  

 

 

Linda L's Mickey and Minnie have taken shape rather quickly.   My advise was to get the mice done first and then tack them together to make lining up the rows of hearts that form the background that much easier.  Now it's true that I always say that the background isn't the focal point of a window but in this case it most certainly shares the spotlight along with Mickey and Minnie.   Precision will be very important on these background pieces but I know that Linda is more than up to the task at hand. 

  

 

 

Even though Let completed her Rose Window she still managed to find the time to get almost all of her fancy Ovalized Tulip Panel complete. She's fast and efficient that's for sure.

 

  

 

 

Judy began working on this stylish looking Woman's Head and has only a few more pieces left to cut on it. The curves of the face are going to be VERY important and will require extensive use of the small grinding bit in small controlled bursts. We surely don't want this lovely young lady to look like she's been in a car accident!

  

 

 

Cheryl's Mr Bingle is nearing the finish line. She needs to re-cut the hat and draw in a face which she'll most likely do after the border and channel have been attached so she can more easily lift this entire window to get some glass behind it to trace the opening onto.  I hear that she'll be adding a number to the streetcar as well.

 

 

 

Mary Grace got to class only to discover that a large majority of her Spine Window were accidentally left at home which meant that she had to work on something else instead. Luckily she had another pattern in her box of tools so she began making three Mushroom Flowerpot Decorations and even got one of them cut, ground, foiled and ready for solder.

 

  

 

 

Barbara's hard at work on grinding her Mardi Gras Fleur De Lis. When this has been ground she'll tack it together before cutting out the 10 pieces of background glass. Things will go much quicker and far more accurately that way.

 

  

 

Sheri's Bird and Leaves Window now has glass cut so we can now see it coming together.   Glass can be a strange thing and in this case the green that Sheri picked out for her leaves was a real pain in the glass to cut out.  It was brittle and seemed to want to break wherever there wasn't an actual score line.  Alas, a little persistence and a lot of determination allowed her to get very far on her leaves with only a few left to go.

 

Julie dealt with the small pieces of her Star Suncatcher in a rather spectacular way. She ended up holding each of these small pieces above the grinder bed to get a better grip on the glass and allow her to get more exact grinds. By the end of the night everything fit together wonderfully and she was able to get a center nugget ground into place as well.

 

 

 

Shelley's Ballerina is certainly looking the part. She's drawn the pattern herself and it still amazes me how she got it to look exactly like a child. My 'people' designs always come out looking like adults-- and older ones at that!  This is really going to be precious.

 

 

 

Susan R's Yorkie Dog is getting more and more definition with each passing week. I'll post an actual picture of the dog whens he finishes this so you can see how closely she's managed to 'flesh out' this piece of stained glass. 

   

 

Tracey got her border cut, ground and attached which means that her Circular Magnolia Window is now ready for soldering. Tracey's work on this proves that even after a long period away from stained glass has not dulled her skills at all.

 

Lara's been busy grinding away on her African Woman window and making sure everything fits just right.  Once this is all ground she'll work on matching the turban to the outfit as only Lara can!  She's our other color queen.

 

 

 

Bee's grinding away on her Dragonfly Window which I believe she said she planned on extending outward to make it rectangular rather than oval. She mentioned that she had a frame that she wants to place her Dragonfly into so we'll get a feel for that next week when brings it in so we can correctly size out the pattern.

 

  

 

Paula's two Butterfly halves are also nearing completion ans she has the left side all soldered save for some minor touch ups. That leaves only the right half to go which I'm sure will be finished by the time she comes back in. Look to see this project as a featured piece in out next update.

 

 

 

Lorrie's Circular Peacock is nearing completion as she steadily fills in all of its background pieces. I also pointed out that I only just recently realized that the two of the 'flowers' in the border are actually Butterflies.  With that in mind Lorrie added black pieces under them to make butterfly bodies which in turn will make the butterflies themselves more apparent.  She doesn't know it yet but we're also going to add antennae to them as well with some wires!

  

  

Martha's Hummingbird Window is being ground and she (like other students) are eager for new batch of grinding wheels to finally arrive since they've become a hard to get item.  And the fact that some of ours are dull isn't helping matters.

 

 

 

 

Mary was some one else who worked on her border pieces and after they'd been ground, foiled and attached she went to work on soldering her window. If you have a keen eye you can tell that what you're seeing below is the back side of her window which means that the front has been completely soldered already.  Expect to see this completed upon hers and our return next week. 

 

 

 

Here's Cindy's next Cardinal Cross which will also surely be finished when she returns. I know she's planning on having this out of the way because she took home the pattern for the next window that she'll be working on so she could trace it out and get ready to cut.

 

  

 

And lastly we turn to Mimi who is now focused on foiling the last 353 pieces of glass for her Louis XV Lamp.  At this rate she'll be putting the final third of this beast together within the next two weeks or so baring any unforeseen dramas!

 

 

Sincerely yours, despite the circumstances,

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks
  

It’s Not Like It's a Rocket Appliance

Cindy was as busy as can be over the holidays and her Rainbow Dog Window Suncatcher is a wonderful example of her Calligraphy skills (as well as her stained glass skills). She drew up this and her next pattern that we'll see all on her own to which I say, "Bravo !" 

 

 

Cindy gorgeous Dog Paw Suncatcher also features her amazing lettering skills.  Her painted handwriting REALLY impressed everyone in class so much that the actual window work may have been overlooked!

 

 

And this Cardinal Cross (which Cindy has made numerous times now) is the final suncatcher that she made over the holidays.  

 

 

 

Bee completed this Christmas Ornament before she put 2025 to bed but I didn't get a picture of it. When Bee came back in this week she opened up her stained glass tool box and exclaimed, "There it is! I'd been looking all over for my ornament but never thought to look in my toolbox!" So fate allowed me to snag a picture of it after all! 

 

 

 

Julie is making a colorful Starburst Suncatcher that she managed to get all cut out during her first class of working on it. There are a lot of tiny pieces so next week she's going to learn how to grind pieces as she actually holds them rather than resting the pieces on the grinder's flat bed which tends to throw them off the grinder if you aren't VERY careful!

  

  

 

 

Barbara started a new Fleur De Lis Window for the new year that she's making in Mardi Gras colors. She got a lot accomplished in just one class and her weak hand doesn't appear to be slowing her down any.

 

 

 

Kandise has begun a Dog Window with a trio of delightful looking dogs in all assorted colors.  She's already well into this having only worked on it for one night!

  

 

 

Keri's making a Pink Princess Philodendron with a twist. It will consist of three leaves that will form a 3D piece that will reside in an actual flower pot. She's got the first leaf cut and ground and will put this one together when she comes back in.

 

  

 

 

Linda L has begun what will surely be an impressive window. Micky and Minnie kissing may be the main focal point but it will be the overlapping, repetitive hearts that make up the background that will take this to the next level.

 

  

 

 

MiMi's gone ahead and managed to finish grinding all of the pieces in her lamp!  That means that there will be no more egg cartons filled with glass in her life (or at least until she makes another lamp).  Next up she'll be foiling!   

 

  

 

 

Let began wrapping all of the glass for her stylized Rose Panel and once that was completed she tacked it together and then cut and ground her border glass. I can't help but believe that this will be completed when she returns.

 

  

 

Lorrie's Circular Peacock is all cut and ground save for the background glass which she began cutting this week. That said, the really good news we have to report is that we've been able to turn up some red glass for Lorrie's Parrots which she will be working on again when she returns.

 

  

 

Tracey's Circular Magnolia looks fantastic as she managed to accomplish an impressive amount of work during the Christmas holidays and everything has be ground. It all fits together nicely and since she's held her pieces into position with pins nothing has shown even a hint of growing after she's applied the foil to about half of her pieces.

 

 

 

 

Bee has resumed work on her Dragonfly Window and cut the wings out of an iridized white glass. She'll be adding lead lines to those four wings but not until she has everything else (including the un-separated wing pieces) ground first.

 

  

 

 

Susan R is cutting her Yorkie Dog Face and grinding her/him as she goes along. It's all beginning to take shape now.

  

 

Lara's African Woman's dress has been carefully color chosen by Lara as she has cut it out.   I always prefer to chose my colors one at a time as I cut rather than picking out all of my glass at one.   Have pieces actually laid out on the pattern helps to determine the weight of each color in the window and Lara has balanced things out wonderfully.

 

 

 

Paula is back at work on her pair of Butterfly Bookends which, as you can see, she's already very far along on. Each half of the butterfly will be mounted into a wooden 'L' frame which will rest on both the left and the right side of a row of books.

 

  

 

Martha was a cutting fool this week and managed to cut out almost all off her oval Iris and Hummingbird window.   Before she left class she asked if she could square this off so it would be a rectangle when she completed it to which I replied, "Sure." 

  

 

 

Then there's Sheri who traced out the pattern for her Bird on a Branch Window and will begin cutting glass for it when she comes back in.

 

 

 

 

And lastly we have Susan D is making Grinch hands!

 

Stay Frosty,

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks 

Ending 2025 With A Bang

Judy's Teepee looks spectacular with it's Southwest Color Scheme.  The great new about it is that it was finished in plenty of time to be gifted as a Christmas present.  When she's not making Crosses Judy can be counted on to make the most interesting projects.  :-)

 

 

 

 

Paula's rendition of Demon Hunter's Derpy was completely finished this week before she even stepped into class.  I just saw someone on Facebook had posted a picture of their version of Derpy and all I can say is that Paula's blows the other one right out of the water.  There's a lot of detail in this and it's paid off wonderfully.

  

 

Keri finished her Circular Humming Bird just in time for Christmas. It was a race to the finish line but the end result shows that no quality was sacrificed during that race. It's certainly a lovely pattern and I won't be surprised if other students want to make this.

 

  

 

 

Linda L made these two adorable Turtle Flower Pot Decorations in record time.   She didn't want to begin her Mickey and Minnie Mouse Window until the new year begins because she wants to work non-stop on it without Holiday interruptions.  In the mean time she's been making items that she can finish in one class.

 

 

 

 Betty made this unique Dragonfly by cutting out uniquely shaped wings for an antique key that she had.   You can't just attach wings to any key because there are a lot of metals (especially anything that is plated) that you can't solder to but this key was copper which solders easily.     

 

  

 

 

 

Sheri completed a beautiful Bordered Cross which, although being petite, packs a big inspirational punch. 

  

 

Betty is keeping busy and has made another small Manger Scene Suncatcher just as wonderful as the first one that she made just last week. She also finished a Dragonfly Spoon and I can't even begin to guess how many of these she's completed over the years. All I know for sure is that she can begin one and finish it within an hour.

 

 

 

  

Cindy completed six of these Fancy Crosses in plenty of time for Christmas. When she came in all she had to do was wash and wax them and once that was done her evening was freed up so she could enjoy the Holiday celebrations that were going on during her class. 

 

 

 

Lori resumed work on her Peacock and it's looking to me as though it might be another show stopper in her stained glass gallery.  I love this pattern and I've seen that the colors that she's chosen for this are absolutely spot-on.

  

 

Let's Rose Window features that ever popular irregular border that looks so darned good. The problem with this border is that if it is not cut and ground EXACTLY to the lines, if it's either too big OR too small in event he tiniest way then the entire piece looses its symmetry and thus its charm.. That said, Let has really paid attention to her pattern placement on her pink flower leading to a flower with gorgeous shading.

   

Susan R wanted to make a Yorkie that resembled her friend's dog which has some very unique coloring to her. Once we nailed down the pattern we then spent time re-drawing a few of pieces so we could achieve the same color pattern that the actual dog has.

 

 

Paula is making a small Manger Suncatcher of her own and has been able to assemble what you see out of simple pieces of scrap that we had in the scrap box.

 

  

 

Lara now knows exactly what colors will be going where for the remaining pieces of her African Woman 's dress and believe me when i say that knowing what colors will be used while cutting out a window speeds thing up substantially.  It allows you to concentrate fully on cutting your glass without your mind wandering off to what color you will need to come up with next.  It sounds trivial but it makes a HUGE difference.

 

 

Mary Grace Resumed work on her Spine Window and is now cutting and fitting all of her background pieces. This is actually very near completion which means that she'll begin working on those tricky letters sometime next year which is only two weeks away! 

  

 

MiMi  knocked out 2 more egg cartons of pieces for her lamp.   There are very few pieces left for her to grins  and now that she's back on track with her lamp she's eager to get it completed when the new year begins. 

 

 

 

Sheri has two other Bordered Crosses in the works with one of them already having been tacked together while the last one has it's border all cut out, ground and ready to be foiled.

 

  

 

Now that the pieces to June's Multi-colored Cat has been all foiled it is ready to be tacked together.  Look closely and you can see that she's already begun doing that.   When she comes back in we will get her background cut out and possibly even the border.   The end is near. VERY near, in fact.

  

 

 

Lastly, Cheryl's Mr Bingle is moving along at a steady pace and I can state for the record that the hardest parts have been completed so things should speed up now. The problem with small windows that contain a lot of pieces is keeping everything organized and dealing with those hard to hold pieces at the grinder.

 

 

And to wrap things up for 2025 we see that Martha is ready to begin working on this Oval Flower and Humming Bird Window.  Hmmmm, apparently I didn't take a picture of it which means that you DON'T see it!!  Also, I never got a picture of Bee's Christmas Ornament.  Oh well, there's always next year...

A big Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Paul

Bayou Salé GlassWorks